Posts Tagged With: Nelson Mandela

Parliament Square in London lies at the heart of a number of important buildings (and tourist attractions); it lies opposite of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament), including Big Ben (or Elizabeth Tower to give it its official name), Portcullis House (parliamentary offices), Westminster Abbey, and Middelsex Guildhall (the seat of the Supreme Court of the UK). Further down is Whitehall, home to a number of Government offices and Departments, including Downing Street, the home of the Prime Minister.

Parliament Square is known for providing a venue for protests, usually against the government, but is also known for its statues of past Prime Ministers and other foreign notables. Unfortunately there are currently no women among the statues, but this is about to change. The UK Government announced in April 2017 that Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett will be honoured with a statue in the square (although this was only brought about via a petition, which amongst others included signatures from actress Emma Watson and author J.K Rowling).

Dame Fawcett formed the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies in 1897, fighting to get women the right to vote. She died at the age of 82 in 1929, the year after British women won the right to vote.

I guess this will give me a good excuse to visit the square again once her statue has been unveiled. So in the meantime here are a few of those male only statues and views from the square.

The view from Parliament Square to Westminster Palace/Houses of Parliament